The Firefighters

Sue Whiting (text)

Donna Rawlins (illus)

Walker Books, Australia: 2010

ISBN: 9781921529498

Genre: picture book

Issues: community, imagination

There's a fire! Everybody has to work together to put it out, to be firefighters - brave and strong, just like the real ones.

Action-packed with imaginative play, young children will easily relate to this great story by Sue Whiting. Readers will love to join in with the onomatopoeic language which brings the story to life. Rawlins' vibrant illustrations capture the drama and urgency of the situation whilst also projecting the fun the children are having as they pretend to be firefighters. It's great to see a teacher being portrayed so positively - participating actively in the game and encouraging the children to experiment with more complex ideas. Great fun to be had by all while reinforcing fire safety rules.